We’ve lived so long under the spell of hierarchy—from god-kings to feudal lords to party bosses—that only recently have we awakened to see not only that “regular” citizens have the capacity for self-governance, but that without their engagement our huge global crises cannot be addressed. The changes needed for human society simply to survive, let alone thrive, are so profound that the only way we will move toward them is if we ourselves, regular citizens, feel meaningful ownership of solutions through direct engagement. Our problems are too big, interrelated, and pervasive to yield to directives from on high.
—Frances Moore Lappé, excerpt from Time for Progressives to Grow Up

Sunday, April 29, 2012

“I do have an opinion. I just haven’t been told what it is”

Click here to access the brief article and 1:05m video. By Hicham Yezza from Ceasefire (UK). 

I think the author's perspective is a bit short-sighted. This video reports on an incident that clearly illustrates how control of speech functions in hierarchically organized societies to shape what authority figures say in all areas of society. Being immersed in such milieus will over time serve to shape even the thoughts of ordinary people about public issues. 

This example strikes us as comical only because it is so obvious. In most cases a person will already know what the acceptable answers (to authority figures) are when asked any question. Those who are more independent minded can be subject to discipline ranging from verbal reprimand, to social isolation, and to loss of career and income.

Thus, it follows that it is complete nonsense to talk about democracy in such hierarchically organized, class-structured societies.
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